All 15 strike teams from Oregon fire departments are still battling the Thomas Fire in Ventura County, California, which as of Thursday had grown to 242,500 acres with 30 percent containment.

The Thomas Fire, now the fourth largest fire in California history, has grown by about 12,000 acres in three days with the help of powerful Santa Ana winds, said Rich Hoover, a public information officer with the Oregon State Fire Marshal.

"Strike teams are still dealing with the winds and erratic fire behavior," Hoover said. "The other fires they were working on are pretty well-contained, but we're going to need every fire crew available on the Thomas Fire."

A Cal Fire engineer died Thursday morning while battling the fire in the steep hills outside Fillmore. He was with the San Diego unit, according to the California Department of Forestry.

California fire officials requested Oregon assistance through a state-to-state mutual aid system on Tuesday, Dec. 5, after a blaze started in the Sepulveda Pass following the Little Mountain Fire in San Bernardino County. The cost of suppression efforts, which involves more than 8,000 firefighters battling the 379 square-mile-fire, is approaching $75 million.

Roughly 300 Oregon fire personnel and 75 engines deployed to California to assist with fire suppression efforts. The Oregon Department of Forestry also has deployed 60 people and 25 engines to assist with the wildfire suppression efforts.

The Marion County strike team is comprised of 21 personnel from six fire agencies including Salem Fire, Keizer Fire, Marion County Fire District #1, Silverton Fire, Woodburn Fire and Stayton Fire.

Keizer Fire District officials, who responded along with the Marion County strike team, hit the ground at 7 a.m. Wednesday after 24 hours of rest, said Captain Aaron Pittis.

Firefighters work 24-hour shifts followed by 24 hours of rest, but some of the Oregon crews are joining volunteer clean-up efforts in the devastated communities during their downtime.

After getting roughly two hours of sleep in one of the bunk beds lining a semitrailer-turned-firefighter dormitory at the fairgrounds, Dean walks up and down the beach and talks to his wife on the phone.

"We just pretend like we're both there in Oregon and it's a regular day," Dean said.

He has been with Salem Fire for 30 years. His wife is an emergency dispatcher and understands the hectic nature of working for a public safety agency.

But it's still challenging. "The big one is just the physical distance between us," Dean said.

Four officials from Keizer Fire District responded to the Southern California fires along with the Marion County strike team on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. They spent a day mopping up hot spots and assessing properties in Ojai, Calif.(Photo: Courtesy of Keizer Fire District)

Two nights ago, a woman even brought Dean and his three Salem firefighters cups of Starbucks coffee at 11 p.m.

But Wednesday they were uprooted, deploying to Montecito in Santa Barbara County. The seaside town had been evacuated along with Summerland, Carpinteria and Fillmore.

The streets of an upscale Montecito neighborhood were empty except for his colleagues and a mobile command center, Dean said. He could see fire on a ridgeline of the Santa Ynez mountains about a mile from the million dollar homes they're assigned to protect.

Salem Fire was positioned there to watch for fire movement as Santa Ana winds swirled through the canyons. Dean said he expected the winds to change by nightfall. If they see embers travel down the mountain range and toward vacant homes, Salem Fire will alert the strike team leader.

Four helicopters hovered above the mountains, dropping water on the blazing hillside.

"All we hear is helicopters and birds," Dean said.

He doesn't like coffee, but his colleagues may sip on instant coffee or caffeinated soda through the night. On Thursday, Salem Fire will pack up their base camp at the Ventura County Fairgrounds and re-establish it in Santa Barbara roughly 27 miles away.

Keizer Fire officials couldn't share details of their tactical assignments, but Captain Pittis said his crew is currently just south of Santa Barbara.

His team of three firefighters assisted with mopping up efforts and property assessments in Ojai along with crews from Salem Fire, Marion County Fire, Woodburn Fire and Silverton Fire.

It's the second time Keizer Fire has sent firefighters to a California fire this year, the first being a part of the Oregon response to fires in Napa and Sonoma counties. A Keizer Fire Facebook post said the crew is in good spirits and "happy to be helping where they are so badly needed."

On Monday, they assessed neighborhoods in Casitas Springs, an unincorporated area in Ventura County. Ojai and Casitas Springs are just under ten miles away from each other.

"We're a different crew than Keizer Fire sent to Napa County, but being here is where we're suppose to be," Pittis said.